Nadia watched the clock with more interest than she should, but she couldn't help it if her job was so boring it drove her to counting the minutes she had left. She loved living in New York, she did, and her school, the dance courses, were amazing. She had even performed at the school's big shows earning herself other little gigs, but prices were sky-rocketing and she needed a job.
… And maybe she wanted to help out her best friend's fiancé. Liam had taken over the café after his parents passed. At first the only help he could get were the two girls; Faith and Nadia.
In all honesty Nadia didn't hate her job, Leo had taught her how to work the machines while he had been working in Starbuck's –she smiled at the memory, but it dropped quickly, she still hadn't heard from him—it was just the lack of customers that bored her.
Finally the ring of the bell alerting her to a new customer sounded and Nadia resisted the urge to let out a sigh of relief as she made her way from cleaning tables to the till, an automatic 'coffee shop employee' smile making it's way to her face as she greeted the customers. "Heya, what can I getcha?"
The following jumble of words was normal as all of the people spoke at once, clearly one group and usually quite in sync.
A quick headcount of seven, the black haired male gave her a welcoming grin, "Ah—one sec."
She waited as they sorted it out before six of the seven shuffled off leaving a short Latino elf—"Leo?" She would know that boy anywhere, but there was no spark of recognition in his eyes, he hadn't even heard her over his friends' chatter and she admittedly froze a bit. She expected some sarcastic comment, a stupid pick-up line, a 'you come here often?'
Not a cheesy grin and a, "Hey, Beautiful," and an order of six varying drinks, but not the slightest hint that he remembered her.
Nadia would be lying if she had said that it didn't sting, she forced a smile telling him the amount and tilting her head to the side before pulling her last card, "Have we met before?"
"Only in my dreams," Leo joked, not picking up on her tone or anything of the sort, "I would remember a face like yours."
With that he went and sat with his friends, Nadia made the drinks running on autopilot as her brain raced ahead of her. Sure he had always flirted, a lot. He hit on a lot of girls, he had even had a crush on Faith for a while. Did that mean she had just been a number to him as well? But they had been friends before, and all that had happened… -god had she really been so stupid? In the last two years she had been on dates sure but all her thoughts, somehow, ended up back with the Spanish boy that now sat joking loudly with his friends. She balanced the seven drinks on her tray before heading to the group and drawing their attention with the loud whistle she had perfected for shutting up rowdy highschoolers that got on her nerves. It came in handy when she didn't want to wait around for her customers to stop their conversations.
Once again she called on a stage-smile, "Coffee, black for the team leaders," Nadia began, setting said two cups in front of the blondes, her ever-present game of 'guess who the drink is for' starting fast, "Apple Cider for the old soul, another coffee, two sugars, for military cut," the next two for the rather adorable couple, "Iced chocolate frappe for McLean," she noted the surprised look in the girl's eyes, "Hot chocolate for the swimmer," it was only when she realized that only six had been ordered that she didn't reach for the seventh to hand it to Leo.
"We're forcing him on a caffeine-free diet," 'McLean replied, answering Nadia's unasked question.
In response Nadia covered her scoff with a laugh, like anyone could keep Valdez from caffeine, then smiled and handed him the last cup, "At a coffee house? Sounds like torture." She nodded to the Latino and quickly headed back to the staff room calling over her shoulder, "It's on the house."
She pulled out her phone from her apron, sending a quick text to Liam to send in one of the Newbies before scrolling through her contacts again.
To: Princess Fishsticks
Guess who just walked into the workplace?
The reply came with a fast ping.
From: Princess Fishsticks
ooooooo who? Was it the cute blond guy?
To: Princess Fishsticks
Think highschool, coffee, and too much energy, plus coffee
From: Princess Fishsticks
I love you babe but you lost me
To: Princess Fishsticks
Leo Valdez &others
From: Princess Fishsticks
MOGGOMGOMGOGM YAYY WHATD HE SAY WHATD YOU SAYD ETAIL DETAILS!
To: Princess Fishsticks
He doesn't remember me
To: Princess Fishsticks
At all
The next reply took longer. Nadia took the sound of the little bell on the counter outside as her cue to leave her hideaway and forced another smile as she entered the room. Relieved that it was the swimmer-boy and not…
"Sorry for the wait," Nadia addressed her tapping the counter in a nervous tick, "How can I help you?"
"I was wondering if you had any donuts?"
Without bothering to hide her confusion, she gestured to the pastry shelf beside them and the boy went a bit red.
"I mean like Timbit-style?"
"Timbit-style donuts," Nadia repeated, blinking.
"For my horse."
"For your horse," she echoed again. Watching the boy for a minute before shaking her head and sighing, tapping the order for a box of donuts onto the register, "Is it bad that this isn't the strangest request I've gotten?"
At this the boy laughed, accepting the pastry box she handed him in exchange for the money, "It might be." He seemed to debate something for a second before sticking out his hand, "Percy Jackson."
"Nadia Lane," Nadia replied shaking his hand.
"My friends and I were wondering if—"
Percy was abruptly cut off by not one but two females, as the blonde girl from his group had jogged over and muttered something to him just as Faith ran through the doors, some boy trailing behind her.
"Faith," Nadia exclaimed in relief, wrapping her arms around her taller friend's neck.
"I know, Sweetie," Faith whispered, rubbing her back before pulling away and nodding to the boy, "Mason wouldn't mind watching the shop for a bit, right kid?"
"Faith!" Nadia reprimanded, smacking the side of her friend's shoulder but Faith just shrugged and the blushing boy continued to stare at the model. "I swear to god if you just pulled him off the street, Summers…"
"You think so lowly of me," Faith scoffed, not actually answering the unasked question.
After a week or so Leo went back to the café. He didn't know why but he couldn't stop thinking about the girl that worked there. How she had managed to get him his favourite drink without him even ordering. She had showed an interest in him that no one had for a while and he had a nagging feeling that he knew her.
He went with the Stoll twins and pretended that it didn't bother him when Conner flirted with her. He tried to ignore that jolt of pain that went through his heart when her hand lingered on his, he didn't have any right. He didn't know her. He just had a crush, his crushes never really went anywhere anyway.
The girl laughed at something the Stoll twin said, her eyes lighting up. It really shouldn't bother Leo this much.
Nadia was slowly getting over it. The ever present hurt in her heart hadn't gone away but he helped. In all honesty Conner reminded her of the Leo she had known, but she was slowly learning all the little things that made him different, that made him Conner Stoll. She knew his order off by heart now, she knew his camp directors didn't believe in today's technology and wouldn't allow the campers cell-phones or other devices.
Despite her underlying wish that Leo would remember her; Conner was worming his way into her heart.
It wasn't for another two years. Leo was rifling through his old belongings, the things he had first brought to camp, when he found a small box. The pictures it held were old, he knew the guy in them was himself, but it wasn't until he remembered the girl at the café that he realized who the other person was.
"God Leo, shush! I'm trying to do something meaningful here."
Leo had accidently knocked the play button on the little iPod and a familiar voice rang through the tiny speakers.
"Naaads," His own voice replied, "I want attention!"
"You always want attention, Valdez. Now are you going to help me or not?"
Nadia. Nadia Lane. Leo's brain flashed with images. A curly-haired girl curled up in a cat-sweater leaning on a window. A younger version of himself sitting under a tree and the same girl holding a cat, she had been trying to convince him to adopt it.
Music came from the iPod as recording Leo's voice stopped grumbling.
"I went into the woods today, to see what I could find,"
For some reason Nadia's voice brought tears to his eyes.
"I saw an owl and he told me that he was wise."
"I went into the woods today,"
"To see what I could find."
"I saw a fox and he told me;"
"Run away and hide."
Leo remembered the adorable cat-loving girl cuddled up to him while she told him stories in return for Spanish lullabies. He had never understood why she loved the songs so much but the look on her face was always payment enough. Even if his voice was horribly out of tune, or he got the words wrong, he would be rewarded by a soft laugh and a peaceful smile as Nadia rested against him.
"Said 'take your chances run and hide!'"
"He said 'take your chances run and hide,"
Leo remembered Faith introducing them, Nadia barely staying a minute before she had to run. She was one of the only people that could be as energetic as Leo himself.
"I went into the woods today to see what I could find."
Leo remembered the first girl he was in love with. He remembered being the best friend, being the first person turned to, being the 'greatest best friend of all time' when he got Faith a necklace made of sea-glass. He remembered lightning up with joy, almost lighting the house on fire, when he received a birthday present from Nadia and Faith. It had been a little stone dragon.
He remembered when Nadia said goodbye then turned back and kissed him.
Then he remembered that Conner had left with Nadia to a high-end studio in France just a few days before.
He remembered her, and realized he was too late.
